Working in a Healthy Environment: Preconditioning Efficient Service Provisions - Research Proposal Example

Employment: The European Dimension Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Working in a Healthy Environment: Preconditioning Efficient Service Provisions 3 Main occupational safety and health risks affecting service provisions 3 Establishing Provisions to Prevent, Eliminate or Reduce Work-Related Health Risk in the Sector 5 Conclusion 7 Reference list 9 Introduction Workplace wellbeing and protection are the crucial factors of an organisation. European Union is concerned for the benefits of workers and companies stakeholders. They are using the European Social Dialogue to provide a framework for increasing beneficiary of employees (Bains et al., 2013). In the current study, European employment dimension will be discussed on the basis of hairdressing industry. It has been observed by the EU members that such industrial sector recruits over one million individuals in the European countries. Major source of the recruitment in the industry are 400,000 hairdressing salons. Such employees have to deal with nearly 350 million potential customers from Europe and rest of the world (Badri, Gbodossou and Nadeau, 2012). In the current research, issues like “working in a healthy environment, which is preconditioning efficient service provisions” and “establishing provisions in order to prevent, eliminate or reduce work-related health risk in the sector” are discussed on the basis of hairdressing industry and its social partnership. Working in a Healthy Environment: Preconditioning Efficient Service Provisions Hairdressing is providing the customers with different types of barbering services. Recently, this industry expanded their product ranges into beauty treatments and different personal services. Small organisations are dominating the hairdressing industry of the European Union. It has been observed that most of the hair salons have less than three employees (Castermans, 2011). However, self-employed hairdressers are operating majority salons and many a time they are not recruiting employees. Such policies are reducing dependency over the employees in small firms (Bains et al., 2013). This industrial segment is enjoying sharp increase of micro businesses. Such firms are enjoying more control on the operations as the owner has the power to control value chains. However, such industrials are facing certain issues regarding healthy and safe workplace environments. The European Union promoted certain safeguarding policies to mitigate the challenges (Europa.eu, 2015). Main occupational safety and health risks affecting service provisions People are visiting hairdressing salon for availing the services like cosmetic treatments, grooming and relaxation. Clients and workers are seeking favourable or comfortable saloon environment. On the contrary, recently clients are getting conscious for many other factors like safety and risky elements. Hairdressing salon employees consider that long working hours without any break will induce serious risks of health. “The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)” outlined that hairdressers are facing several occupational health risks like skin disease, chemical reaction, work fatigue and stress. Such risks are hampering the workplace culture and employee beneficiary (Beswic.be, 2015). Thus, organisations are required to improve the working conditions in order to attract the employees or hair dressing service providers. Concrete benefits of the workers must be the major priority for the management of hairdressing firms. In a year, work-related skin diseases will cost almost 5 billion Euros (Beswic.be, 2015). The cost is associated with European Union based hairdressing industry only (csdle.lex.unict.it, 2015). Analysis of the United Kingdom based reports provided that almost 70% of hairdressers are suffering from various occupational diseases. These employees suffered from skin disorders due to their professional activities. Such diseases are affecting employees at least once during their career. On the other hand, Danish hairdressing industry reported that skin diseases are the major threat for the employees. On a survey of nearly 10,000 Danish workers, it has been observed that nearly 57 patient cases reported among the hairdressing industry only. On the contrary, other industries reported with only six occupational disease patients (Beswic.be, 2015). France is another crucial market of the hairdressing industry in the European Union. French hairdressers represent almost 1% of the overall workforce of the nation (csdle.lex.unict.it, 2015). The reports also states that nearly 20% of the women suffering from work related asthma represents hairdressing industry. The European Union is observing that such organisations are facing skin related disorders. On the other hand, “The International Agency for Research on Cancer” reported that the chemical used in hairdressing firms are causing cancers to the employees (csdle.lex.unict.it, 2015). Occupational chemical exposures are increasing the potential carcinogenic factors among the hairdressers or barbers. Such threats hamper workplace stability and employee satisfaction. The musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are increasing rapidly in the hairdressing industry of EU segments. Such disease is increasing five times more than the other industries in the EU. Hairdressers are getting affected by MSD during service provisions (Mirza, 2010). Health and safety issues among the hairdressers are creating gaps in providing the services. Such health related issues are increasing the lower efficiency, nonattendance and untimely attrition from industry. Young hairdressers are showing the high rate of attrition in such industry. Majorly, people having the age below 35 years are showing high fluctuation (Badri, Gbodossou and Nadeau, 2012). Occupational diseases are harming overall society members who are associated with the hairdressing industry of the European Union. Therefore, social security and healthcare services are gaining importance in order to reduce negative impacts of the occupational hazardous elements. Profitability of the firms is highly depending on the European Commission’s Framework Directives. Such strategies are increasing vulnerability of investments for the vocational training systems. Young hairdressers are requiring higher consideration as health and organisational safety (Europa.eu, 2015). Establishing Provisions to Prevent, Eliminate or Reduce Work-Related Health Risk in the Sector Hairdressing industry is facing the abovementioned challenges so workplace social partnership agreements are gaining higher importance. Firstly, such agreements will be helping in developing the health and safety factors in the saloon. Secondly, such partnership also covers the areas like working environment and organisation of work (Castermans, 2011). European Union is aiming to use Social Partnership and Social Dialogue so that they are able to increase the rate of concrete benefits of hairdressing employees and companies. European social dialogue can be defined as the combined process of consultations, discussions, negotiations and mutually designed actions. The social partners of the European Union based hairdressing organisations commence such actions. Moreover, trade unions and employers are involved in the process for maintaining higher mutual benefits with the help of effective negotiation (Mangenot, 2004). Social dialogue is popular in two distinct forms in the European level. EU can use bipartite dialogue, which involves the European hairdressing employers and trade unions of the labour markets. On the other hand, tripartite dialogue can be used by EU only when they want to coordinate information between the social partners and the public authorities (Parrish, 2011). The participators of such coordination system are diversified into various groups in order to increase the safety and workplace vulnerability (Leonard, Perin and Pochet, 2011). It has been observed that the European social dialogues are involving trade unions that are representing general level workers and employers of hairdressing at the European Union base. Social partners are engaged in the role of designing employment and social policies. All the involved parties are having interests in increasing welfare of hairdressing labours (Mirza, 2010). Social dialogue is based on two different levels. Firstly, cross-industry dialogue represents entire economy. It involves that “European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), whose designations also include two bodies of specialized and administrative staff Eurocadres and CEC, Business Europe or ‘Confederation of European Business’, CEEP or ‘European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest’ and UEAPME or ‘European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises” (Europa.eu, 2015). Sectoral level involves particular industry segments like the manufacturing or retail. Social partnership and social dialogue are helping EU members to meet the hairdressing industry related challenges (Pushpan, Kumari and Nishteswar, 2013). Maritime labour standards of 2007 must be cooperated in the EU based hairdressing factors (Europa.eu, 2015). EU is using the Framework Directive in order to find out key health related challenges faced by the European hairdressing labour markets. Social dialogue need to design a framework of agreement that will reduce the changes or issues like workplace harassment and violent behaviour (Schneid, 2014). Framework Directive is developing separate strategies for the different service provisions. Mainly hairdressing services are covering the areas like “shampooing and application of hair care products, hair colouring, permanent waves, styling, and wet cleaning and disinfection work” (Europa.eu, 2015). Therefore, the workplace social partnership must include various aspects of service provisions. Employee safety can be outlined with the help of distinct strategic factors. Framework Directives includes protection of skins of the service providers. EU instructs the hairdressers to reduce and eliminate hazardous chemicals used in operations and employees are suggested to use gloves. Social Dialogues are aiming to prevent occupational allergies by controlling the dust formation, and use of sensitising materials. Framework Directives are used to develop the workstation according to ergonomic designs consisting of moving trolleys, revolving seats, automatic hand tools and least possible repetitive hairdressing will reduce the chances of muscular-skeletal disorders (Europa.eu, 2015). Social dialogues and partnerships are considering the working environment like the job timing or hours, work place or area, amenities or convenience, non-slip ground dimensions, airing issues, and individual hygiene facts (Thomassen, 2013). On the other hand, maternity protections are another parts of the workplace social partnership agreements (Wahl, 2002). EU is offering their hair dressing employees with adapting tasks and physician consultation. In addition, framework are aiming to increase the provisions for benefiting the mental health and well-being of employees. EU regulations for the hairdressing industry require proper management of the employees, allocating suitable roles and responsibilities as per the skills and capabilities of the employees (UNIGlobalUnion, 2015). Material, products and tools usage Mainly such usage policies are depicting the safety standards for protecting skin and respiratory system (Welz, 2008). The European Union has developed Framework Directive for increasing and safeguarding the employees from different hazardous elements. According to articles 6(3), hairdressing employers are responsible to reduce or mitigate risk level from the work place ambience (Europa.eu, 2015). Moreover, developing protective and prevention measures requires risk assessment. The hairdressing employers must be able to identify the potentials and specific risks (Thomassen, 2013). In the industry, health hazards can occur due to the shared use of various materials or saloon materials. Framework Directive requires developing prevention and protection for the worker associated with the industry (Europa.eu, 2015). Conclusion Social dialogue and employee participation is highly solicited by the European Union. From the study it has been observed that the hairdressing firms of EU area are facing huge issues regarding the occupational disease and hazardous elements. Thus, social dialogues are using Framework Directives to increase beneficiary for the stakeholders. The European social model outlines that social partners constitute the social dialogues in order to increase welfare of the employees or other. The European employment beneficiary can be executed with the help of mutual negotiations, discussions, consultations and mutual actions with the management of the hairdressing firms. Moreover, European social dialogue is segmented into two different forms like bipartite and tripartite, which complements member’s social dialogue schedules. Finally, the study is deducing that hairdressing firms are using Framework Directives in order to increase the wellbeing of employees and reducing occupational disease related threats. Reference list Badri, A., Gbodossou, A. and Nadeau, S., 2012. Occupational health and safety risks: Towards the integration into project management. Safety Science, 50(2), pp.190-198. Bains, S., Bhatia, A., Singh, H. and Yadav, M., 2013. Temporomandibular disorders: Biobehavioral assessment. ASL Muscuskel Dis, 1(1), p.26. Beswic.be, (2015). [online] Available at: [Accessed 24 June 2015]. Castermans, A., 2011. Towards a European Contract Law through Social Dialogue. European Review of Contract Law, 7(2), pp.275-289. csdle.lex.unict.it, 2015. European framework agreement on the protection of occupational health and safety in hairdressing sector. [online] Available at: [Accessed 24 June 2015]. Europa.eu, 2015. 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